灰 (huī) is a Chinese character meaning “ash”. It is written from 厂 (factory; cliff radical) and 火 (fire), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “ash; gray”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
厂 + 火
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 厂 / 2-5 火）
Memory aid
Fire (火) tucked under a cliff overhang (厂): once the flames die down under that shelter, what is left is ash — gray.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 灰色huī sègray; grey灰 = huī
- 灰尘huī chéndust灰 = huī
Go deeper
All readings
ash; gray
ash; dust; gray; grey; dispirited
物体燃烧后剩下的粉末；也指像灰那样的颜色，或指尘土。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 灰色huī sègray; grey灰 = huī
- 灰尘huī chéndust灰 = huī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 灰 mean?
灰 (huī) means ash; dust; gray; grey; dispirited.
How do you pronounce 灰?
It is pronounced huī.
What parts is 灰 made of?
厂 (factory; cliff radical) and 火 (fire), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-1 厂 / 2-5 火）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 灰 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 灰?
火. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 灰?
Common ones are 灰色 and 灰尘. The reading of 灰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.